Council of the Americas will hold its forty-eighth annual conference May 8, 2018, at the U.S. Department of State.

Our annual conferences have traditionally featured presentations by the president, the secretary of state, foreign heads of state, cabinet officials from the hemisphere, and leaders of the business community. View the 2017 conference report.

The 2018 Washington Conference on the Americas, the premier Washington event on the Americas, will bring together U.S. administration senior officials and distinguished leaders from across the Americas to focus on the major policy issues affecting the hemisphere. Please make plans now to join us for this important event.

The top U.S. diplomat to the UN described Venezuela's May elections a "sham"....

"Today, the Maduro regime threatens the peace and security of the entire region," said U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley at the 48th Annual Washington Conference on the Americas. She said "the time for talking is over" and called the country's upcoming elections a sham. Haley talked about rule of law and democracy as pre-conditions for economic growth in the Americas and also brough attention to protests in Nicaragua questioning President Daniel Ortega's rule.

"The United States is committed to being the security partner of choice for the Americas," said the U.S. deputy secretary of state....

"The United States is committed to being the security partner of choice for the Americas," said the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan at the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas. The deputy secretary highlighted the importance of U.S. engagement in the hemisphere when it comes to collaborating on issues of security, drug trafficking, and corruption, among other problem areas. Sullivan also addressed the crisis in Venezuela ahead of the May 20 elections: “We support the Venezuelan people in their sovereign right to elect representatives through free, fair, and transparent elections.”

The U.S. senator focused his remarks on strengthening U.S. engagement with region when it comes to the rule of law, trade, and economic development....

At the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez focused his remarks on the need for developing a U.S. policy with Latin America focused on the rule of law, trade, and economic development. "Good governance is good for business," said the the ranking minority member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He also addressed U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and announced he will be introducing a comprehensive bill regarding the country in the Senate.

The republican senator for Nebraska explained that automation threatens jobs more than does global trade....

Speakers

Benjamin Sasse, U.S. Senator (R-NE), Chairman, Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance

Introduced by Eric Farnsworth

"Right now, Americans think that what's happening with more trade is that consumers are winning but producers are losing...That is not what trade is doing. That is partially what automation is doing," said Ben Sasse. At the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas. Talking on the topic as an historian as well as a politician, he defended free trade agreements such as NAFTA, Sasse talked about the realities of China's dominance in world trade in future years, and demonstrated that anxieties on how technology will be changing the future of work are important to ackowledge.

U.S. Treasury Undersecretary David Malpass spoke with the Financial Times' Shawn Donnan and experts from the World Bank and Brazil's Finance Ministry about the next steps for economic growth in the region....

Panelists

Marcello Estevão, Secretary for International Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Brazil

David Malpass, Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Treasury

Shawn Donnan, World Trade Editor, Financial Times (moderator)

In a focused conversation at the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas, panelists discussed motors for regional economic growth in Latin America, including infrastructure spending and good governance reforms. Moderator Shawn Donnan asked the panel about news that Argentine President Mauricio Macri is requesting a credit line from the International Monetary Fund. “We’ll be watching the discussions closely,” said David Malpass, U.S. Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump is supportive of Macri and his reform agenda.

Council of the Americas will hold its forty-eighth annual conference May 8, 2018, at the U.S. Department of State.

Our annual conferences have traditionally featured presentations by the president, the secretary of state, foreign heads of state, cabinet officials from the hemisphere, and leaders of the business community. View the 2017 conference report.

The 2018 Washington Conference on the Americas, the premier Washington event on the Americas, will bring together U.S. administration senior officials and distinguished leaders from across the Americas to focus on the major policy issues affecting the hemisphere. Please make plans now to join us for this important event.

The top U.S. diplomat to the UN described Venezuela's May elections a "sham"....

"Today, the Maduro regime threatens the peace and security of the entire region," said U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley at the 48th Annual Washington Conference on the Americas. She said "the time for talking is over" and called the country's upcoming elections a sham. Haley talked about rule of law and democracy as pre-conditions for economic growth in the Americas and also brough attention to protests in Nicaragua questioning President Daniel Ortega's rule.

"The United States is committed to being the security partner of choice for the Americas," said the U.S. deputy secretary of state....

"The United States is committed to being the security partner of choice for the Americas," said the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan at the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas. The deputy secretary highlighted the importance of U.S. engagement in the hemisphere when it comes to collaborating on issues of security, drug trafficking, and corruption, among other problem areas. Sullivan also addressed the crisis in Venezuela ahead of the May 20 elections: “We support the Venezuelan people in their sovereign right to elect representatives through free, fair, and transparent elections.”

The U.S. senator focused his remarks on strengthening U.S. engagement with region when it comes to the rule of law, trade, and economic development....

At the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez focused his remarks on the need for developing a U.S. policy with Latin America focused on the rule of law, trade, and economic development. "Good governance is good for business," said the the ranking minority member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He also addressed U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and announced he will be introducing a comprehensive bill regarding the country in the Senate.

The republican senator for Nebraska explained that automation threatens jobs more than does global trade....

Speakers

Benjamin Sasse, U.S. Senator (R-NE), Chairman, Subcommittee on National Security and International Trade and Finance

Introduced by Eric Farnsworth

"Right now, Americans think that what's happening with more trade is that consumers are winning but producers are losing...That is not what trade is doing. That is partially what automation is doing," said Ben Sasse. At the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas. Talking on the topic as an historian as well as a politician, he defended free trade agreements such as NAFTA, Sasse talked about the realities of China's dominance in world trade in future years, and demonstrated that anxieties on how technology will be changing the future of work are important to ackowledge.

U.S. Treasury Undersecretary David Malpass spoke with the Financial Times' Shawn Donnan and experts from the World Bank and Brazil's Finance Ministry about the next steps for economic growth in the region....

Panelists

Marcello Estevão, Secretary for International Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Brazil

David Malpass, Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Treasury

Shawn Donnan, World Trade Editor, Financial Times (moderator)

In a focused conversation at the 48th Washington Conference on the Americas, panelists discussed motors for regional economic growth in Latin America, including infrastructure spending and good governance reforms. Moderator Shawn Donnan asked the panel about news that Argentine President Mauricio Macri is requesting a credit line from the International Monetary Fund. “We’ll be watching the discussions closely,” said David Malpass, U.S. Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump is supportive of Macri and his reform agenda.